¡Estamos Aquí! Festival Hispano

Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration from mid-September to mid-October and recognizes the history, culture, achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The ¡Estamos Aquí! Festival Hispano kicks off the month in Northeast Wisconsin.

¡Estamos Aquí! takes place at The Weidner located on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. The free, outdoor festival is open to the public and features a car show, live music, art, food and more. 

"It started as a small, resourced event that took place in the Casa ALBA Melanie Parking lot for several years. Latino leaders, Rogelio Contreras and Stephanie Guzman, had the vision of putting on a large Hispanic festival," said Maria Padilla, a Festival Committee member. "With the help of Amanda Garcia and Casa ALBA Melanie, this event became what it is today. The entire event continues to be planned by a committee of Latino leaders in partnership with Casa ALBA Melanie and The Weidner."

Last year, more than 8,000 people attended ¡Estamos Aquí! for a turnout much larger than anticipated. Padilla expects an even larger crowd this year with well-known band, Banda La Auténtica De Jerez, performing live as the festival headliner.

"We've been planning for the whole year. There will be 19 food vendors and around 30 market vendors in the 'mercadito' which means 'small market,'" said Padilla.

Padilla says the festival is possible with the support of many community sponsors and partners. Her role on the Festival Committee is coordinating and assisting all of the vendors, but she says the planning is a collective effort with her fellow committee members:

• Rogelio Contreras, Green Bay Police Department
• Juan Corpus, New North, Inc.
• Christian Mendez, Nicolet National Bank
• Jose Villa, Fox Communities Credit Union
• Maria Webb, Casa ALBA Melanie

She says her work with the vendors for ¡Estamos Aquí! helps her in her role as Diverse Small Business Manager at the Greater Green Bay Chamber. While that is an added benefit, Padilla credits her passion for the festival's purpose that motivated her to get involved.

"It brings exposure the to the entire community. It's important for Latinos to feel like they have a space here. The name of the festival is '¡Estamos Aquí!' which means 'We are here!'," said Padilla. "It's really just important for the Latino community to feel like they are celebrated, they are welcome, they are here, and the community embraces the culture and the people."

Padilla also says the festival brings visibility to local Latino businesses and gives them a platform to sell their products. "Unfortunately, a lot of these businesses are underserved and face barriers due to language, lack of connections, or access to resources. This is about giving them an opportunity to make sales and overall provide an economic boost."

Padilla believes this is only the beginning for ¡Estamos Aquí! and hopes to see it attract 25,000 to 30,000 people in the future.

¡Estamos Aquí! Festival Hispano will be on Saturday, September 14th from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. More information about the free, public event can be found here.